[ANSWERED] What Size Charge Controller for 1200W Solar Panel?
Undoubtedly, solar charge controllers are essential for ensuring the better health of solar panels as they protect the panels from over and undercharging. They do that by regulating the power flow from batteries to panels. So, it’s clear that you need a charge controller for your solar panel to get better performance.
Now for your information, the size of the charge controller varies on the battery bank’s voltage. There’s a significant formula to calculate the exact size of a charge controller for specific wattage. That means for 1200W solar panels, you’ll get different sizes for different voltages.
To know these facts in detail and get the answer to your question, you need to go through the entire article. So, without wasting time, let’s get started.
What Size Charge Controller Is Required for 1200W Solar Panel?
First of all, let’s start by sharing the formula for calculating the size of the charge controller you need. It’s actually better when the solar panel’s nominal voltage matches the controller’s.
The rule of thumb to size a charge controller is dividing the total solar panel output by the battery bank voltage and adding 25% safety margins to get the charge controller size.
Here, it is –
Size (Charge controller output) = (Solar panel output / Battery bank voltage) + Safety margins
You may know that 12, 24, and 48 volts are the typically used charge controller voltages. Now, if you utilize the formula with a 1200W solar panel and a 12V battery bank, your charge controller output will be –
Size (Charge controller output) = 1200W / 12V = 100A (up to 125A by adding 25% safety margins)
On the other hand, if you have a 1200W solar panel and a 24V battery bank, your charge controller output will be –
Size (Charge controller output) = 1200W / 24V = 50A (up to ~60A by adding 25% safety margins)
Last but not least, if you have a 1200W solar panel and a 48V battery bank, your charge controller output will be –
Size (Charge controller output) = 1200W / 48V = 25A (up to ~30A by adding 25% safety margins)
That means if you have a 12V battery bank, 24V battery bank, or 48V battery bank; you’ll need a charge controller with a maximum output of 100A, 50A, or 25A respectively.
Bonus Tips
One thing you should know is that the charge controller should be sized at least 120% of the solar panel output to ensure that it can handle the full power of the panel. For example, if you have a 1200W solar panel, you should use a charge controller that is at least 1440W.
Conclusion
That’s all about determining the size of the charge controller for a 1200W solar panel. Just to clarify the whole concept, you need to divide solar panel output by the battery bank voltage to get the size, or in other words, charge controller output. But as we already have calculated the value to show you, now you don’t need to worry anymore. Just go to the market and buy a charge controller according to your battery bank voltage.
